Retail banana storage unit

ABSTRACT

A storage apparatus for boxes containing fruit includes a cabinet having side walls, a rear wall, front wall portions, and a cover portion. The front wall portions together define an access opening for insertion of a stack of the boxes. Each of the side walls include an outer wall and an inner wall separated from the outer wall by a space, and a plurality of vertically oriented partitions disposed between the inner and outer walls. Each of the inner walls include a plurality of apertures, with each of the apertures being associated with a unique one of the air flow channels to allow the air in that channel to impact boxes of fruit located adjacent that aperture. Damper means close off one or more apertures as boxes are removed to enhance airflow through the remaining apertures.

REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.10/051,927 filed Jan. 22, 2002, being U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,366 issuedMar. 28, 2006, which is incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to banana storage apparatus, and moreparticularly to a banana storage apparatus including air distribution,cooling and heating devices to facilitate the storage of ripe bananas ina retail grocery store.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, fruit is shipped to supermarkets in boxes, generally sixboxes to a layer and from one to eight layers tall. In a typicalsituation, the boxes are opened and re-stacked to allow air circulationaround the fruit to remove heat that builds up within tightly bunched,closed, boxes.

Banana boxes used for packaging and shipping fruit by all growers orshippers are designed very similarly, and all contain openings on allsix sides of the box to allow air circulation and an escape path for thebuilt-up heat.

In a warehouse facility, bananas arrive in refrigerated shippingcontainers or trailers. The fruit is palletized, generally in six boxesto a layer, eight layers tall, so that there are forty-eight boxes to apallet and approximately twenty pallets in a full shipment. As the fruitis stacked about eighty-two (82) inches high on the pallets, each palletis provided with banding which is wrapped about the boxes stacked on thepallets to prevent the boxes from shifting or falling during transport.

Before being shipped for retail sale at the consumer level, all bananasgo through a ripening process in specially designed “ripening rooms”. Inthese rooms, fruit is generally placed in the same banded 48 box palletas they are shipped in. In this banded stable stack, the aforementionedair holes in adjacent boxes are aligned and air is forced to move aboutthe stack of boxes, flowing freely from one box to another through thealigned holes in the sides, top and bottom of the boxes. Thereafter, theair escapes to a common return where it is cooled and then caused to berecirculated, over and over, through and about the stack of boxes.

After the fruit is ripened, it is ready for shipment to the retail orend user location. A full banded pallet of fruit contains forty-eight(48) boxes each weighing forty (40) pounds (each pallet thereforecarries about 1920 pounds). Very few supermarkets order bananas in suchlarge quantities, so pallets are unloaded into smaller quantities forshipment. At this point, the banding must be removed, and thereafter,the boxes sitting on the pallets or in the stack are no longer pressedtightly together, and the holes in the boxes are no longer aligned.

Upon arrival at a retail location, good storage practices dictate thatthe banana boxes be re-stacked, with the lids removed, in a loosearrangement so heat in the boxes can escape. If this is not done, thequality of the fruit and the shelf-life is adversely affected. But evenif done correctly, an average order of 25 boxes takes about 30 minutesto re-stack, and requires a clerk to lift each box 2 to 3 times. Thisadds up to 2000 to 3000 pounds of lifting.

Further it is known that the ripening time of fruit can be controlled byremoving the fruit from the boxes and letting it stand in ambient orcooled air. However, this technique has been found less than desirableinsofar as too much time is required to remove the fruit. Moreover, thefruit typically becomes bruised in this process and is renderedunattractive to the purchasing consumer.

It would therefore be desirable to have an apparatus which would permitripening or storage of fruit contained in boxes stacked on a palletafter the banding, normally wrapped about the boxes when stacked on thepallet, has been removed.

Interest in keeping fruit fresh for as long as possible beforepresentation and/or sale to consumers has a long history, and fruitripeners of varying kinds are well known in the art. For example, U.S.Pat. No. 5,028,443 to Wade discloses a method and apparatus forcontrolling the ripening of fresh fruit in which a stack of boxes offruit is wrapped or covered with plastic such that the vertical faces ofthe boxes are covered. The boxes in the stack have holes in upper andlower faces which register with corresponding holes in verticallyadjacent boxes to facilitate a vertical movement of an air-ethylenemixture through the stack. A lid on top of the stack of boxes isprovided with a blower and an air-conditioning unit, and a hose or otherconduit fluidly couples the top and bottom of the stack.

The blower draws air vertically through the stack, while theair-conditioning unit maintains the conditioned air in the stack at apredetermined temperature and humidity.

The fruit ripening apparatus of Wade is nevertheless not able to do thejob where the fruit is being stored in the retail store just prior todisplay and sale to the consumer. As a rule, the equipment involved iscomplex, costly to maintain, and requires substantial space to house theequipment.

There is therefore a great and long-felt need for a fruit ripeningapparatus which permits storage and/or ripening of fruit while the fruitboxes are stacked on a pallet, and which is light weight, not cumbersomein construction, unbreakable, easy to erect and store, inexpensive andsimple in design.

In one aspect of the present invention, bananas are stored in stacks ofunbanded boxes in a cabinet having channels in walls through which airis forced via fans to access openings in the cabinet walls adjacentselected ones of the boxes in the cabinet so that heat, that builds upin the boxes as the bananas ripen, can be removed before creating aninjurious environment for the ripening bananas.

In another aspect of the invention, a fruit ripening apparatus comprisesa cabinet having side walls and a cover portion within which are houseda fans and motors for driving the fans, the side walls having channelsdefined therein which fluidly communicate with the fans, so that fruitstored in the cabinet in stacks of boxes from which banding has beenremoved can be immersed in a cooling environment.

Other aspects, advantages and features of the invention will become moreapparent and better understood, as will equivalent structures which areintended to be covered herein, with the teaching of the principles ofthe invention in connection with the disclosure of the preferredembodiments thereof in the specification, claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fruit ripening apparatus in accordancewith the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the fruit ripening apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the fruit ripening apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the fruit ripening apparatus shownin FIG. 1 and taken along section lines A-A in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the fruit ripening apparatus shownin FIG. 1 and taken along section lines B-B in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fruit ripening apparatus shownin FIG. 1 and taken along section lines C-C in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a ghosted view of the improvement to the invention whichcomprises one embodiment of damping means used to selectively restrictairflow.

FIG. 8 is a ghosted view of the details of a separate embodiment of theslidable damping means used in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the various Figures, there is shown a fruit ripening orstorage apparatus 10 which comprises a lower housing component 10 a andan upper housing component 10 b. The lower housing component includes“exterior” wall elements, including side walls 12 a, 12 b, front walls14 a, 14 b, and a rear wall 16 directly opposite the front walls (seeFIG. 2). The side walls, front walls and rear wall may be separatepanels or elements, or they may all be formed from the same sheet bentat appropriate locations to form walls that are disposed at right anglesto one another. Each front wall terminates in a narrow guide portion 18a, 18 b, which is disposed at an angle to the plane defined by the frontwalls, preferably at an acute angle to the front walls. The guideportions 18 a, 18 b are angled away from one another and together definean opening which has a dimension extending between the front walls thatis wide enough to receive a pallet P on which are stacked a plurality offruit-containing boxes. The upper component includes a top section 18securable to the uppermost regions of the front and side walls. A floorpanel or wall may optionally be provided, but it is contemplated thatthe apparatus 10 will be erected at a retail store, perhaps in a roomoutside of the area where shoppers frequent, and the floor of the storewill suffice nicely as the floor of the apparatus. The interior of theapparatus 10 defines substantially rectangular areas in vertical andhorizontal planes in order to accommodate multiple boxes of the fruit ineach row; however, the present invention contemplates any shape of theinterior of the apparatus. The material of which the walls and topsection of the apparatus might be formed include metal, a metallicmaterial, a plastic, a paper, a composite material, or some combinationof the aforesaid materials.

A second set of “interior” side walls 22 a, 22 b are provided within theapparatus 10 (see FIG. 5). The “interior” side walls are disposedparallel to the “exterior” side walls 12 a, 12 b, and are spacedinwardly therefrom. Partitions 62 (note that these are shown in phantomin FIG. 4) are arranged normal to the “interior” and “exterior” walls todefine, with these walls, channels 24 a, 24 b through which air may becirculated. Through openings 52 a, 52 b are provided in each “interior”side wall 22 a, 22 b at different staggered locations along the lateralextent of the “interior” side walls 22 a, 22 b, and at different,unique, locations along the vertical extent of the “interior” sidewalls. The through openings communicate the various channels with theinterior of the apparatus 10. A framework of flexible seal elements 54comprising vertical elements 55 and horizontal elements 56 is secured toeach “interior” side wall (only one framework is shown in FIG. 4). Theframework 54 of seal elements is provided for the purpose of maintainingthe sides of the boxes, which have been placed in the apparatus 10, at apredetermined distance (based on the thickness of the sealing elements)spaced from the inner surface of the “interior” walls.

The channels formed by the partitions disposed normal to, and between,the “exterior” side walls 12 a, 12 b and the “interior” side walls 22 a,22 b function as air delivery channels. Each of the air deliverychannels fluidly communicates the output of the fan 28 with the openings52 a, 52 b located in the “interior” side walls. With the seal frameworkmaintaining the boxes spaced from the inner surface of the adjacent“interior” side wall, air forced by each fan 28 through the respectivechannel 62 and out through a respective opening 52 a, 52 b can thenimmerse the stack of boxes in a bath of cool air, while also allowingpassage of the cool air into the interior of these boxes through theholes provided in the sides of the boxes.

Each of the fans or blowers 28 are mounted to an upper wall or ceiling26 that extends across and separates the upper portion 10 b from thelower portion 10 a of the apparatus 10. Each of the fans, or each of apair of adjacent fans, are powered by a motor 29. Ducting 30 fluidlycouples the fans 28 with a respective one of the channels 52 a, 52 b.

The upper portion 10 b of the housing includes a lid or cover 32 havingside walls 34 and a ceiling 36 (note FIG. 1). The height of the sidewalls of the cover are chosen sufficiently large enough to permitcontainment of the blowers therein, as well as an evaporator coil 42 andan air conditioning unit 44. A return air duct 46 also communicates thevolume defined within the cover 32 with the interior volume of the lowerportion of the apparatus 10.

It is to be recalled that, for purposes of this invention, the boxes arestacked atop each other within the apparatus 10 with the bandingremoved. With this understanding, it is to be recognized that the boxeswill deform slightly so that spaces exist between adjacent boxes, bothin a lateral orientation and in a vertical orientation, and furtherbetween the boxes and the interior side walls of the apparatus. Thus,air directed into the interior of the apparatus through the channels 52a, 52 b will pass around the exterior of the boxes as well as throughthe boxes via the openings in the sides of the boxes before beingredirected back to the fans at the upper portion 10 b of the apparatus.

The invention also contemplates the use of a curtain attached to theapparatus at the upper extent of the opening between the front walls.The curtain will be rolled up and secured to allow access to theinterior of the apparatus for the purpose of removing one or more boxesof produce from the apparatus, and when it is desired to close theapparatus once more, the curtain will be released and allowed to drapedown over the opening. It is contemplated that the curtain will be madeof a plastic material, preferably in sheet form, and desirablytransparent.

In one version of the invention, the apparatus is designed for use in acooled storage area typical of most modern supermarkets, the rooms aretypically kept at temperatures in the range of from about 55° F. toabout 60° F. This is a good storage temperature for bananas as well asother products that need to be cooled. In this environment, theapparatus does not include a cooling unit or a means of closing off theentry opening between the front walls. Air is forced through the boxesfor one pass and then flows into the open room.

In another version of the invention, the apparatus is designed for usein supermarkets that do not have air conditioned areas and wheretemperatures encountered are more extreme. Here, the apparatus 10 isequipped with a cooling and heating unit, and an entrance closure in theform of a door or curtain. The apparatus of this version is providedwith a return air opening at the top of the chamber in which the boxesare stored, preferably in the vicinity of the evaporator coil 42 and airconditioning unit 44. This enables the air that is forced through thechannels 24 a, 24 b, and around and through the stacked boxes, tore-enter the compartment in which the fans 28 are located so that it canbe circulated past or though the coil 42 and cooled by the airconditioning unit 44.

An additional improvement over the earlier referenced parent applicationis found in the use of damping means to seal off one or more of theaperture used to provide airflow through channels as described above. Ithas been determined that the usefulness of the invention may be enhancedby utilizing plates or damper means which selectively seal off openings52 a and 52 b as the palletized boxes are removed from apparatus 10 foruse.

In considering FIG. 1, it will be appreciated that produce being removedfrom the invention for sale would normally be removed from the top tothe bottom. It is more convenient for a user to remove boxed fruit fromstorage apparatus 10 from the top of the stack downward as this is thenatural order of use. The invention described above allows uniformairflow to be maintained through the lower levels of the boxes as theboxes are removed from the front of apparatus 10.

It has been determined that an additional improvement may be realized byproviding damping means to selectively close off individual openings 52a and 52 b only at each level where a given opening has been completelyuncovered or exposed by removal of boxes from the top down to the levelof a particular opening 52 a or 52 b. It can be appreciated that if someboxes are removed, continued airflow through an opening 52 a or 52 b ata higher level is wasted in the sense that it continues to flow throughthe aperture, but is not as useful as it allows airflow from blowers 28to escape into the inner portion of apparatus 10 without travelingthrough the boxes. It is desirable to reduce power consumption of motors28 as well as reduce cooling requirements. An improvement exists in thepresent invention whereby simple damping means is provided to close offopenings 52 a and 52 b sequentially, and only at the particular levelnear where all of the boxes above the aperture have been removed foruse.

Simple sheet metal damping means which slidably function are locatedwhere they can be pushed back exposing each of openings 52 a and 52 b asthe palletized boxes are placed into apparatus 10 initially. Boxes areremoved from apparatus 10 top to bottom with slidable plate 60 whichcovers corresponding openings 52 a and 52 b at or about the level of theboxes placed higher than a particular opening is engaged to expose eachof opening 52 a and 52 b to function as described above. It can beappreciated by observing FIG. 5, for example, that as the top two levelsof boxes are fully removed, uppermost opening 52 a and 52 b can besealed to reduce the airflow required for apparatus 10 without illeffect, in that there are no boxes of produce at the higher level to betreated with the airflow.

In such a fashion, adding dampers for openings 52 a and 52 b throughoutapparatus 10 can increase the efficiency of the entire apparatus sealingoff those openings which are no longer needed to treat the boxedproduce. Therefore, cooling and airflow requirements, and accordinglypower requirements, might be reduced for the small amount of producethat remain in apparatus 10. As the produce stored within the apparatusis entirely consumed or otherwise used, it can be appreciated that atthe time a new, full pallet of produce is stored within apparatus 10 thedampers can be reopened either manually or by being pushed back throughspring operated automatic means engaged by the movement and placement ofthe boxes being loaded back into apparatus 10.

Turning now to FIG. 7, an example of a slidable damper will beillustrated using an embodiment which is automatically retractingthrough use of a spring mechanism. Damper 60 is fashioned out of sheetmetal and includes a damper ledge 62 to catch the end or edge of a boxof produce being loaded into apparatus 10. Damper 60 is slidablyattached to tract 66 which is a ledge-like sheet metal fixture to allowdamper 60 to slide back and forth in direction 64 as shown in FIG. 7. Itcan be appreciated that tract 66, placed above and below damper 60,should be placed to allow damper 60 to completely cover a given opening52 a or 52 b, depending on which side of apparatus 10 the damper isplaced. A single opening for example, 52 b, is illustrated in FIG. 7 asan example. FIG. 7 shows damper 60 in the fully open position, whereinone or more boxes loaded into apparatus 10 has pushed against ledge 62thereby causing damper 60 to be in the open position allowing airflowthrough damper aperture 70. With aperture 70 aligned with opening 52 b,it can be appreciated that airflow can be accommodated.

To assist in the automatic retraction of damper 60, springs 68 containedabove and below and around the area of tract 66 can be disposed such asto create a loading force when damper 60 is in the fully open position.Upon removal of the appropriate box from apparatus 10, damper 60 wouldbe urged through spring 68 in the direction of 64, thereby causing thesheet metal closure of damper 60 to cover opening 52 b, thereafterdampening any airflow through 52 b.

Damper 60 is shown by an example in which the aperture 70 is alignedwith opening 52 when a box is in place. This configuration can bereferred to as normally closed, opening airflow only upon the alignmentof aperture 70 with opening 52 b in FIG. 7. If desired, and depending onthe specific dimensions used in the fabrication of damper 60, it can beappreciated that damper 60 may be a solid sheet of metal not containinga damper aperture 70, but being fully retracted away from opening 52 bto expose 52 b allowing airflow to continue as described in the basicinvention. This is illustrated in FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 shows the movement in direction 64 of damper 60 in the secondconfiguration which, when retracted into the loaded position becauseproduce boxes exist, the damper retracts rearward in apparatus 10 toexpose 52 b entirely. Either configuration operates in the same fashion,as can be appreciated by reviewing FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. The differencebetween the two variations largely concern the space which may beavailable for the placement of tract 66 to allow for freedom of movementof damper 60 in direction 64. FIG. 8 may accommodate a situation whereapparatus 10 is constructed with less clearance available for theplacement of the damper mechanism shown where there is less room forlateral movement of damper 60 along tract 66. In either case,improvement is realized by the dampening of the airflow in unusedelevations within apparatus 10.

Either variation shows a suitable means to increase the efficiency andoperational benefits of the invention by providing a useful means toseal off airflow openings that are not used to cut off unnecessaryairflow within such air delivery channels which are not necessary foreffective airflow over the remaining boxes of produce existing within apartially loaded apparatus 10. It is possible to accomplish the dampingof the airflow using less elaborate damping means which require manualactivation. In a simplified version of the damper mechanisms illustratedin FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, manual placement of damper 60 could beaccomplished when produce boxes are removed by hand from apparatus 10.In such a simplified embodiment it would be possible to reach in andclose a given damper once a sufficient number of produce boxes areremoved from apparatus 10. Likewise, it would also be possible tofashion a simple foam plug to provide a basic means for plugging closedopening 52 a or 52 b at the appropriate level without the need for amore elaborate damping mechanism described. Improvement is realized whenany damping means is used to seal off openings 52 a and 52 b, and apartially loaded apparatus 10 is going to be operated over a lengthyperiod of time. The automatic means described would likely be moreeffective as it eliminates the need for a user to remember to seal offunused openings.

It will be apparent that the invention is not limited to the embodimentsdescribed above and that variations and modifications may be madethereto within the scope of the invention.

1. A storage apparatus for boxes containing fruit, comprising: a cabinetincluding side walls, a rear wall, front walls, and a cover portion,said cabinet having upper and lower portions and an interior volume of asize sufficient to house a stack of said boxes and said volume beingconfigured and sized to accept palletized produce; said front walls ofsaid cabinet defining an access opening for insertion and withdrawal ofone or more of said boxes; each of said side walls of said cabinetcomprising an outer wall, an inner wall separated from said outer wallby a space, and a plurality of vertically oriented partitions beingspaced from one another and disposed between said inner and outer walls,said plurality of partitions spanning vertically between the upper andlower portions while being in intimate contact with said inner and outerside walls, so that said inner and outer side walls define, with saidpartitions, air flow channels; said airflow channels including means toselectively dampen one or more of said airflow channels of each sidewall; said means to selectively dampen each said air flow channelcomprised of a slidable plate configured to selectively block one ormore of said air flow channels; and said cover portion being positionedatop the front, side and rear walls, said cover portion housing blowersdisposed atop the air flow channels of each side wall and conduit meansinterconnecting said blowers and said channels for fluidly communicatingsaid blowers with said air flow channels.
 2. The storage apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein said cover portion further houses a condenser coil andair-conditioning apparatus.
 3. The storage apparatus of claim 1, whereinsaid inner walls each include a plurality of apertures, each of saidapertures being associated with a unique one of said air flow channelsto allow the air in that channel to impact boxes of fruit locatedadjacent that aperture and each of said apertures may be selectivelydampened by slidable movement of a damper plate.
 4. The storageapparatus of claim 3, wherein said apertures are arranged athorizontally staggered positions.
 5. The storage apparatus of claim 1,wherein said cabinet includes a return for directing air emanating fromthe apertures in said inner wall of said cabinet to the cover portion.6. The storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein said cover portion furtherincludes at least one motor for driving said fans.
 7. The storageapparatus of claim 6, wherein each fan is driven by a separate motor. 8.The storage apparatus of claim 6, wherein each pair of fans is driven bya separate motor.
 9. The storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidfront walls include narrow edge wall portions disposed at an acute angleto said front walls, said narrow edge wall portions forming a guide tofacilitate insertion and withdrawal of said stack of boxes.
 10. Thestorage apparatus of claim 1, and further including a closure carried bythe cabinet to block egress of air from the interior of said cabinet.11. The storage apparatus of claim 10, wherein said closure comprises atleast one sheet of plastic material.
 12. The storage apparatus of claim10, wherein said closure is attached to said cabinet between said frontwall portions.
 13. A storage apparatus as in claim 1, wherein furthersaid damping means is automatically selected on or selected off inaccordance with the removal or insertion of said one or more boxes. 14.The storage apparatus of claim 3, wherein further said sealing means areautomatically selected on or off in accordance with the removal orinsertion of said boxes.
 15. A storage apparatus for stacked boxes, saidboxes being stacked on a single pallet, comprising: a chamber having avolume defined by a floor, ceiling, and side walls including an accessopening for insertion and withdrawal of one or more of said boxes;alignment structure within the chamber for spacing stored product apartfrom the side wall, the stored product having a height comprised ofstacked boxes; at least two substantially airtight volumes defined by aside wall and a second interior wall substantially parallel to said sidewall, each said side wall and second interior wall extending along theheight of the stored product having at least one vertical partitionsubstantially extending along the height and defining at least one ormore pressurized volumes; and a source of air operably connected to thechamber for circulating fluid through the stacked boxes by blowing saidair into said pressurized volume and for withdrawing the fluid fromanother side of the stored product thereby creating a substantiallyclosed air flow path to and from the said source of air; wherein eachsaid pressurized volume is further divided internally into at least twoseparate pressurized volumes isolated from each other and eachcommunicating with the output of said source of air whereby eachinternal pressurized volume provided air flow to a separate level of thestacked boxes; further including damping means to selectively isolatesaid separate pressurized volumes from said source of air, saiddampening means comprised of a slidable plate configured to open orclose an aperture to direct said air flow only to areas within saidchamber containing boxes.
 16. The storage apparatus of claim 15 furtherincluding means to isolate each said internally-divided pressurizedvolume from the said output of said source of air.
 17. The storageapparatus of claim 15, whereby said slidable plate configured to open orclose an aperture is opened or closed by the placement of or removal ofa box from said pallet.